CES News

New Funding Proposals for US Department of Education Title VI Grant and European Union Center of Excellence Grant

The Center for European Studies at UNC-Chapel Hill will be applying for two major grants this spring. First, we will be applying for funding to be designated as a National Resource Center by the US Department of Education for 2014-18. Second, we will be applying to be designated as a European Union Center of Excellence by the European Union for 2014-17. We invite all UNC faculty and graduate students with a primary focus on European studies to submit proposals for research working groups, research projects, or other research or teaching projects directly related to contemporary Europe, the EU, or transatlantic studies. All proposals must be submitted electronically (preferably from a UNC email account to avoid the spam filter) to europe@unc.edu. A CES committee will consider which projects best fit the grant proposal and the appropriate level of funding.

In your funding proposal, please include:

Title and explanation of the project

Why the project is relevant to contemporary Europe, the EU, or transatlantic studies

If your proposal is for an on-going project funded in the current grant cycles, please explain “added value,” i.e. what will be new about the next wave?

Names and departments of faculty involved (key faculty), including European faculty names and institutions if there are any

How the project involve students

A 4-year (Title VI) or 3-year (EUCE) detailed budget broken down by year

All inquiries regarding the application process should be directed to europe@unc.edu.

Application deadline: January 31, 2014

Apply for FLAS (Foreign Language and Area Studies Grant)

FLAS fellowships fund the study of less commonly taught languages and area studies coursework. This program provides academic year and summer fellowships to assist graduate students and advanced undergraduates in foreign language and area studies. For more information or to access the application form, click here.

Application deadline: January 31, 2014

European Union Center of Excellence Summer Research Fellowship

CES will offer two awards to UNC-CH graduate students to conduct pre-dissertation research on the EU or on a comparative European topic (i.e. involving more than one European country) in Europe during summer 2014. Awards will be in the amount of €3000.

Proposals should include a completed application form, a five-page (max) synopsis of the research project with a timetable, and a letter of support from the dissertation advisor or another professor. Click here to apply.

Application deadline: February 15, 2014

Spring 2014 LAC Courses

The following LAC course options will be offered during the spring semester. For course times and information on the types of different LAC options and the recommended minimum proficiency level, visit the LAC for Undergraduates page. To enroll, email the LAC Coordinator.

Swahili combined discussion section open to students in AAAD 101, ANTH 319, and PUBH 420

Spanish recitation for ENST 201: Introduction to Environment and Society

Spanish recitation for HIST 143: Latin America Since Independence

Spanish seminar: BUSI 490 sec 014: Megaprojects in Latin America

Teaching LAC: GLBL 789*

*This LAC pedagogy course is designed for graduate and professional students who are interested in teaching interdisciplinary and internationally-focused courses in languages other than English. GLBL 789 is required for all students pursuing the Graduate Certificate in LAC Instruction. It is currently scheduled for Mondays, 4:00 – 7:00 pm | FedEx Global Education Center 3033. For more information, email LAC Coordinator Tanya Kinsella.

Upcoming Speaker Series

"Look, But Don't Touch": American Women as Military Entertainment

Kara Dixon Vuic will be speaking in conjunction with the Duke-UNC Gender, War, and Culture Series. In every twentieth-century war the U.S. military sent women entertainers to warzones. They opened canteens where soldiers could find a friendly face, performed on stage, played games and engaged in conversation, and brought a momentary reprieve from the war to the battlefield. This presentation examines the history of these programs, the military’s intentions for the women, and the meanings women ascribed to their work. It reveals the ways that feminine sexuality formed a central part of the state’s efforts to maintain an effective fighting force, construct martial masculinity, mobilize homefront support, and export American culture to foreign countries.

"Gateway to Freedom" in West Germany? The Friedland Refugee Youth Camp as Regulating Humanitarianism, 1947-1951

In the fall of 1945, the British Military Government ordered the establishment of a transit camp in the town of Friedland to help the local region cope with the refugee masses crossing the nearby zonal boundaries. Although the camp soon gained the reputation as the “Gateway to Freedom” for millions of German expellees, refugees, and prisoners of war entering West Germany from Soviet-dominated Eastern Europe, the camp’s regulatory regime meant that acceptance and resettlement in West Germany was more difficult than the famous moniker indicated. Taking Friedland’s sub-camp for vagrant male youths as an example, this presentation demonstrates how the camp’s dual regulatory and humanitarian mission affected key issues of family reunification, recognition of refugee status, and resettlement. Presented by Derek Holmgren, doctoral candidate in the Department of History at UNC-Chapel Hill.

Study or Research in Europe

2014 EU Studies Summer Program in Brussels

The European Union Centers of Excellence at the University of Washington and University of Wisconsin are pleased to announce the 2014 EU Studies Summer Program in Brussels, hosted and co-organized by the Institute for European Studies at the Universite Libre de Bruxelles (ULB). This program is supported by grant funds from the European Commission. Students will be awarded 12 UW quarter credits upon successful completion of the program. This five-week program will run from July 7 to August 8, 2014. Application forms and info available at: http://jsis.washington.edu/euc/brussels.

Application deadline: February 7, 2014

Thesaurus Poloniae

Thesaurus Poloniae is a three-month-long fellowship programme of the Minister of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland which is implemented by the International Cultural Centre in Krakow. The programme is addressed to non-residents of Poland who conduct their research on culture, history and multicultural heritage of the Republic of Poland as well as Central Europe.

Thesaurus Poloniae Fellowship is awarded in two categories: Senior Programme addressed to university professors and senior lecturers (PhD holders) and the Junior Programme addressed to PhD candidates. For further info please contact thesaurus@mck.krakow.pl. Recruitment rules and application form can be downloaded here.

Application deadline: January 24, 2014 (timestamp)

Freie Universität Berlin is now accepting applications for Fall 2014

Freie Universität Berlin invites applications for its undergraduate FU-BEST (Berlin European Studies) program for Fall 2014 and beyond. It also extends an invitation to any institutions that may wish to join our large community of program partners. Students from a wide range of U.S. institutions have successfully participated in this growing program, which has been positively evaluated by the Forum on Education Abroad. Please see http://www.fu-berlin.de/en/sites/fubest/about/partner/index.html for details.

For full details on courses as well as other features of the program and application materials, please visit www.fubest.org and click on the many links to all the information and documents (including course syllabi).

Application Deadline: April 1, 2014

The Boren Awards for International Study

The applications for the 2014-15 David L. Boren Scholarships and Fellowships are now available at borenawards.org. Boren Awards provide unique funding opportunities for U.S. undergraduate and graduate students to study in Africa, Asia, Central & Eastern Europe, Eurasia, Latin America, and the Middle East, where they can add important international and language components to their educations.

Boren Scholars and Fellows represent a variety of academic backgrounds, but all are interested in studying less commonly taught languages.

Application deadline: January 28, 2014

Conferences, Workshops, and Calls for Papers

2014 Claremont-UC Undergraduate Research Conference on the European Union

If you are a UNC undergraduate student interested in applying for the conference, please contact europe@unc.edu, as a limited amount of travel funds are available.

Deadline for submissions: February 17, 2014

Europe: East & West Undergraduate Research Symposium at University of Pittsburgh

Modeled after traditional academic conferences, this event will give students the opportunity to present their research papers on Western and Eastern Europe, including Russia and other countries of the former USSR, to discussants and an audience. Please encourage your outstanding undergraduate students to apply to participate in the symposium. The application form and further information can be found at http://www.ucis.pitt.edu/ursymposium.

If you have any questions, please contact Gina Peirce, Assistant Director, Center for Russian and East European Studies at gbpeirce@pitt.edu.

The 2014 SPERI conference seeks to take discussion of the political economy of the crisis beyond its British and European contexts to focus centrally on the dynamics and patterns of the distribution of growth and development across the entire global political economy. One view presumes that the contemporary economic and financial crisis is an appropriate lens through which to consider the global political economy and all of its constituent parts, placing emphasis on the integrated nature of global capitalism and the ‘global imbalances’ that draw all regions and countries into a measure of responsibility for the structural roots of crisis and recession. An alternative view argues that the implications of the crisis have been much more uneven and localized, mediated by differing types of political economy, growth models and development strategies. Meanwhile, the uncertainty surrounding the changing roles of the ‘rising powers’ or ‘BRICS’ economies, the continual flux and increasing ambiguity of categories such as ‘low-income’ and ‘middle-income’ countries, and signs of a weakening of the hold of established ‘orthodox’ ideologies of development all suggest that fresh thinking is needed about the nature of future growth and development in all parts of the global political economy, whether conventionally regarded as ‘developed’ or ‘developing.’ For more information about the conference, consult the call for papers and visit the SPERI website. Please send abstracts (of no more than a page in length) of proposed papers/panels to Sarah Boswell by emailing speri@sheffield.ac.uk.

Deadline for submissions: January 31, 2014

Fellowships, Awards and Job Opportunities

Wilson Center Title VIII Grants in East European Studies

Short-term and summer research grants are are available to American academic experts and practitioners, including advanced graduate students, engaged in specialized research requiring access to Washington, DC, and its research institutions.

All grant opportunities are funded by Title VIII and available only to U.S. citizens. All relevant application forms are available online at www.wilsoncenter.org/es.

The Austrian Marshall Plan Foundation Fellowships in Central European Studies enable each year two outstanding scholars to conduct research on important issues related to Central Europe at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) in Washington, DC.

The Fellows are closely integrated into the research, training, and outreach activities of the Center for Transatlantic Relations (CTR) at SAIS, and will participate in CTR events and meetings. Each Fellow is expected to complete a research paper during the period of residence according to the terms of the assignment entered into with the Foundation.

Each year the Center and the Austrian Marshall Plan Foundation identify several themes of particular interest. For 2014-15, the Center is particularly interested in receiving applications that deal with any of the following:

The impact of sovereign debt crisis and the economic crisis on the countries of central and eastern Europe

The future of the western Balkans

Energy security issues

'Frozen' or 'festering' conflicts in central and eastern Europe

Issues of human rights, democracy and rule of law in central and eastern Europe

The role of central and eastern European countries in transatlantic approaches to common challenges

Learn about EURAXESS

EURAXESS is a networking tool for European and non-European researchers based in North America wishing to pursue a short or longer research stay in Europe. It provides information about research in Europe, European research policy, free job/fellowship publishing, opportunities for research funding, for international collaboration and for trans-national mobility. Membership is free. To join the community or to find out more about the opportunities for North Americans, register at EURAXESS Links North America or email northamerica@euraxess.net. Visit the EURAXESS website to learn more.

Max Planck Institute Postdoctoral Fellowships

The Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies invites suitable candidates to apply for up to four postdoctoral fellowships in economic sociology and political economy. Applicants must hold a PhD degree in political science, sociology, organization studies or related fields. Degrees must be received by August 2014 at the latest. Fellowships will usually start on October 1, and will be awarded for one year.

For more information see announcement on the MPIfG website, where the application form can be downloaded.

Application deadline: January 31, 2014

Fulbright Program Manager & Education USA Adviser

The Commission for Educational Exchange between the US, Belgium and Luxembourg is a Fulbright Commission and Education USA center that advises international students about higher education in the U.S. and administers merit-based grants for graduate study (Master’s or PhD), post-doctoral research or university lecturing in the U.S. for citizens of Belgium (www.fulbright.be) and the EU (www.fulbrightschuman.eu). To apply, please send a resume and cover letter to Erica Lutes at fulbright@kbr.be. Candidates selected to move to the next round will be notified of their success within two weeks and interviewed by March 1. Skype interviews will be permitted for candidates applying from outside of Belgium.

Application deadline: January 31, 2014

Education and Business Resources

NC Teachers! Join us for the 2014 Euro Challenge Orientation

You are invited to participate in the Euro Challenge 2014, an exciting educational opportunity for 9th- and 10th-grade high school students to learn about the European Union (EU) and its single currency, the euro. The program introduces students of global studies, world history or European studies economics and offers a unique learning experience that moves them out of the classroom into the real world. The competition is also an excellent opportunity for teachers, as teachers enlisting a team in the regional Euro Challenge are eligible to be awarded a free trip to Brussels next summer. Help your students experience the history that is unfolding before our eyes in the euro area!

To help students and educators prepare, a free orientation at UNC-Chapel Hill will be held on Saturday, January 25. For more information about the competition in the North Carolina/Southeast region, or to register for the orientation, email Alexandra Holmgren or call 919-843-9852.

Participants wanted for FREE Transatlantic Educators Dialogue program at the University of Illinois

Are you interested in talking to other teachers about educational issues beyond classroom management? Do you get excited about topics such as immigration, youth culture, notions of the "other" in national identity formation, and education in rural vs. urban contexts? Are you curious about differences in education between the US and other developed (and developing) nations? If so, the University of Illinois invites you to join a free12-week online program: "Transatlantic Educators Dialogue 2014."

Please contact TED coordinator Lucinda Morgan (lmorgan4@illinois.edu) if you have questions about the program. Enrollment will be selective in order to ensure a diverse geographic participation.

New EU business briefs shed light on the latest EU developments

The EU in Brief is a series of concise informational documents about the European Union targeting businesses and media in North Carolina and across the United States. The briefs examine the economic and foreign policy relationship between the US and the EU as well domestic issues affecting contemporary Europe. Ten briefs were recently published online. Feel free to download them and share.

CES interviews leading observer Saša Pekeč on the accession of Croatia to the European Union in a six-part series

Subscribe to the CES video channel on YouTube to be notified of new videos

The channel is the home to original resources for students and the greater public too. You will find lectures from our Fall Friday series and by our esteemed visiting scholars and interviews with thought leaders. Enjoy our growing library of topics on contemporary Europe. Help us grow our family of subscribers!

Interested in discovering and understanding the multiplicity of francophone identities? This bilingual French/English website provides educators and students points of reference, materials and practical information to spark reflection and examine the diversity of francophone identities, furthering their knowledge of contemporary Europe.

Other International Events and Resources

An Early Evening of Russian Art Songs and Folk Music

Sunday, January 26, 2014 at | Duke East Campus Nelson Music Room

The Center for Slavic, Eurasian, and East European Studies presents An Early Evening of Russian Art Songs and Folk Music, with Edna Andrews (Dept. of Slavic and Eurasian Studies, Duke) and Irina Guliakova (Dept. of Russian Languages, St. Petersburg State University). Admission is free.

Making the World Safe for Democracy? Diversity in the First World War

Saturday, March 29 at 9:00 am | High Point University Conference Center Ballroom

When the United States entered World War , President Woodrow Wilson explained that Americans were fighting to "make the world safe for democracy." This one-day workshop brings together three of the nation's leading experts, Profs. Richard Fogarty, Jennifer Keene, and Michael Neiburg, to examine the ways that Wilson's promise did and did not ring true. This event is open to the public, no tickets required.